


Unknown Element

by taleanaomi



Category: Spooks | MI-5
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-28
Updated: 2018-01-31
Packaged: 2019-03-10 09:09:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13498922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taleanaomi/pseuds/taleanaomi
Summary: In a spook's world there is nothing more disconcerting then an unknown element. written using early Series 9 characters.





	1. Chapter 1

The phone rang and Harry snatched the receiver up without looking at the caller ID. “Yes?” He asked briskly, eyes still scanning the document in his other hand. 

“Short and to the point as ever. I've always liked that in you.” A woman’s voice come through the receiver; her voice was sultry, coy, teasing. “How have you been, Harry?” 

Harry froze and slowly lowered the paper in his hand to the desktop. He knew that voice, but it couldn't be her. The last time they had crossed paths, he had won. He had won and she'd lost; which mean that she was supposed to have left London. This had to be some sort of a joke. 

“To whom am I speaking with?” Harry asked briskly as he leaned back in his chair. His voice had gone flat with suspicion, cold with anger. He heard it and resolved that was the last time his tone would reflect that particular emotion. 

“Aw. I’m hurt, Harry. You don’t remember me?” The female voice continued. Nope, no joke it was her. She did sound hurt but Harry knew that she was acting. Julia Green - professional burglar and assassin – did not get hurt easily. 

And how could he ever forget her? Every meeting was carefully documented and stored in the archives. Every job she had ever pulled, every job she could pull, her skills, her professional likes and dislikes. Everything conceivable was carefully recorded in a thick file that Harry had copied and kept hidden in his personal safe. 

“Julia. What a surprise.” He replied dryly. “To what do I own the pleasure?” He looked up through the glass into the empty office: everyone had gone home for the day. Too bad. He would've had someone trace the call. By tomorrow she would be gone. 

“You sound happy to hear from me, Harry. That's good. I thought you would've bore a grudge after our last meeting.” 

“I still do.” Harry replied. “You handed me the intelligence and then ran, leaving me to get shot at. I may never be the same again.” 

She laughed. It was the first thing that sounded real in the entire conversation. “I've always enjoyed your sense of humour, Harry.” 

“What do you want, Julia?” Harry asked. “You can't be calling just to catch up for old time's sake.” 

“I heard you lost something and need some help getting it back.” Julia replied. “A disk? With all sorts of top secret government files? Ringing any bells?” 

“What of it?” Harry asked casually. 

“I just thought I’d just pop by and tell you it's location. That is if you still want it back.” Julia said offhandedly. “There’s a lot of useful information on here. Information that you wouldn’t want to fall into the wrong hands.”

Harry leaned forward in his seat. She had gotten his full attention now. Bloody hell; she had the disk! Where was Tariq when you needed him? 

“Back?” He managed to ask evenly, ignoring Julia’s last statement. “Does that mean you stole it in the first place?” 

Julia laughed. It was light, almost carefree. “If I had, would it make a difference?” She asked.

“Of course it would.” Harry replied. “When you come to collect the reward, we’ll put you in jail for stealing from the British government.” 

“Do you always have to put a damper on things, Harry? She asked in an annoyed tone. “I don't steal from the government, you know that.” 

“How noble of you.” Harry replied sarcastically. 

“Don't get your knickers in a bunch. I acquired it while I was on a job. When shall we meet? Tomorrow if it’s convenient?” Julia asked. 

“Does this mean you’re ready for jail time?” Harry replied. “If it does, I have some people that would love to talk to you about some of your previous jobs.”

“Now you sound almost like your old self.” Her tone was happy again. “You know that there'll be no jail time until you're sure of what I know. Usual place; tomorrow, say tenish?”

“How do I know you really have the disk?” Harry asked. 

“Blue case, red lettering. Operation Handshake. Any of this sounding familiar?”

Harry pinched the bridge of his nose. “Ten tomorrow?” He asked in resignation. 

“I'll be waiting. I don't think I need to tell you to come alone; and unarmed.” There was a click. 

Harry held onto the receiver for a second and listened to the buzz. Then he reached out and gently put the receiver back into the cradle. Ten o'clock. Hours away, but somehow he knew that he wouldn't be sleeping tonight. She always seemed to know just how to mess up his schedule. 

o0o

Harry was in first thing that morning before any of the team. He sat in his office with Julia's file in front of him and watched as the Grid came to life before his eyes. The tech people were the first to come in; the other analysts and then Tariq, flying through the pods like a monster was after him. Though possibly that monster was him as Tariq was running a little behind on his maintenance reports. 

Lucas was the next to step through the pods and Harry watched as he was ambushed by several people wanting his signature on their forms. Beth would be slightly late as it was Monday. Just another normal day in Section D.

Harry got up from his chair as the pods opened to reveal Ruth. He quickly walked into the main room and gently touched her elbow to stop her before she walked further into the bullpen. “Ruth. Can I see you in my office for a moment?” 

Ruth frowned but followed Harry after quickly leaving her coat on her desk. 

“Shut the door.” Harry said once Ruth had entered his office. 

Ruth drew the wood door closed behind her. “What's going on, Harry?” She asked coming to stand in front of the desk with Harry. 

“Julia Green.” Harry said the thorn in his side's name slowly and carefully. 

Those two words gave Ruth pause. “I assume this means she's crawled back out of the woodwork.” She commented after a moment. Even after being out of the intelligence community for a while, Ruth still knew about Julia Green as the assassin had popped up while Adam was still team leader. 

“Yes.” Harry replied somewhat sourly. “She's back.” 

“And what did she offer you this time?” Ruth asked. “Please don't tell me it's money again.” 

Harry shook his head as he walked behind his desk. “No. Something much more serious I'm afraid. She has the disk.” He stated before taking his seat. 

“Well, this complicates things.” Ruth remarked into the silence. “I assume you don't want to bring the team onto this.” 

“Certainly not.” Harry replied. “They have enough of their plates without having to worry about the fate of our operations lying in the hands of a manipulative, money hungry..... oh god! How did we ever get into this mess?” Harry rested his forehead in the palm of his hand. He could feel another headache coming on.

Ruth slide into the chair in front of the desk. “We got into this mess when the JIC decided it would be a good idea to send classified files through a carrier on a disk.” She replied. “Paper is much harder to steal.” 

“Well at least I know someone else agrees with me.” Harry replied, raising his head from his hand. “I tried to tell the JIC that something like this would happen but they were, shall we say, persuaded by one of the younger generation.” 

“There could be another reason why you got yourself into this mes.” Ruth said, quietly. She slide forward on her chair. “Julia Green is the latest of your achilles heels, Harry. I don't think I need to remind you what happened at your last meeting. You've let her play you one too many times and now it's just coming back to bite you in the arse.” 

“No need to get vulgar on my account.” Harry remarked with a raised eyebrow at her reprimand. 

“Well, where Julia Green is concerned you need a good lecture.” Ruth replied ducking her head slightly as she did when she knew that she was stepping out of bounds. “When are you meeting her?” She asked. 

“Ten.” Harry replied. “Our usual spot.” 

“You want back-up?” Ruth asked. 

“No; I'm supposed to go in alone; and unarmed.” Harry replied. “I'd appreciate your discretion in this matter, Ruth.” 

Ruth nodded as she stood up from her chair. “Just don't let her get inside your head, Harry. She knows how to play you.” 

Harry wanted to tell Ruth that she was dead wrong, but something made him pause. Ruth knew him better then anyone else on the Grid and was such a valued member of the team that everyone always listened to her insights.   
Was Julia playing him? Happy just to have a old spook on her rope to jerk around? But the disc; she had described the disc accurately and he needed to know what she knew. 

Ruth's warnings still ringing in his ears, Harry sat back in his chair and glanced down at the file on his desk. This was going to be an interesting morning.  
o0o

The fall day was cool with just enough bite into the air to warn travellers of the coming snow. Harry rubbed his gloved hands together as he stepped out of his car. The usual place that Julia had mentioned was the park downtown where a large crowd would be gathered at this time of day. 

University students, families, and couples were enjoying the weather before it got too cold to be outside. Harry picked a bench that was far enough away from the people so their conversation wouldn't be overheard but close enough that they would be in the public eye if Julia decided to initiate something. 

He sat down and watched the people for a few minutes. He checked his watch. It was just after ten. Harry lowered his wrist and then turned as he caught a dark shape out of the corner of his eye. 

Julia Green, dressed in a thigh-length black coat slide gracefully onto the bench next to him. Her long hair was pulled back and fell over her right shoulder gracefully as she turned to face him. “Harry.” She greeted him. 

“Julia.” He replied dryly. “Do you have the disk?” He asked quickly getting down to business. 

“What? No witty banter? No sarcastic remarks?” She asked with a quick grin. “I was hoping for a little bit of fun before we got down to business.” 

“I never mix business with pleasure.” Harry replied glancing around at the park. 

Julia shrugged. “Pity.” There was a short pause as they listened to the children playing football in the background. “I don't have the disk.” She replied after a moment.

Harry turned to look at her; she ignored his gaze and continued to watch the scenery. Harry turned back to the park, silently counting to ten. He didn't like games, and disliked them even more when Julia Green had a hand in them. 

“I can see why you like this place so much.” He said conversationally after a moment. He looked along the low lying buildings. “Not many places for a sniper, plenty of innocents in case someone decides to get messy, nice view too.” He turned to face her. “What if I told you that I had managed to place a sharpshooter in the area?”

Harry saw a flash of concern in Julia's eyes, but only for a moment. She raised her chin. “Then I'd say that you were bluffing.” She replied evenly. “Those weren't the terms of our agreement and I don't have it on me if that's what you're thinking, Harry.” 

“Why should I believe anything you say?” Harry replied. “You are, after all, an assassin for hire to the highest bidder.” 

Julia shrugged and spread her arms. “Then we can do a strip search right here if you want.” A twinkle came into her eye. “Though we might get a visit from some friendly coppers and I don't think you want to bring in the local police into this one.” 

“Why go to all the trouble of a strip search?” Harry asked. “People are easy to search when they're dead.” 

“Yes, but only if they are stupid enough to carry the item that the other party wants on their person.” Julia replied. She smiled. “I -unfortunately for you- are not. So if you kill me, then you are still down one computer disc with government secrets on it.” 

“Where is the disk?” Harry asked. 

“It’s somewhere safe.” Julia assured him calmly. 

“Please don’t tell me you left it with one of your 'associates.'” Harry looked appalled. The associates list on her CV was long enough to fill several pages and all of those names belonged to people who had even less moral standards then Julia did. 

“Oh, Harry.” Julia replied, her tone turning to annoyance. “Don’t get yourself in a snit. It’s not becoming.” 

“No more games, Julia.” Harry told her firmly. “Where is the disk? And what do you want for it?” 

She sighed. “Must you always assume I do things only for money?” 

“What can I say? It's the economy.” Harry replied dryly. 

“Well in that case a million ought to do it.” Julia replied. She grinned at the look that Harry gave her. “Kidding.” She told him. 

Harry stood, fully intending on walking away. 

Julia sighed. “Alright!” 

Harry sat back down and turned to face her.

“I want assurances that once I give you the disc you allow me to leave. No questions, no 'visits' to Themes House.” Julia told him. “Just a simple hand-off.” 

Harry raised an eyebrow. “That's it?”

“That and ten thousand.” Julia was quick to reply. “I'm thinking about updating my wardrobe.” 

“Black, black and more black?” Harry asked dryly. 

Julia cocked her head. “Do we have a deal or not? As much as I like you I don't have time to sit here all day and toss insults back and forth. I'm a busy woman; deals to make, people to kill, secrets to find out.” 

“When and where?” Harry asked. Ten thousand was small pennies compared to what others had asked of him. It was a small amount compared to the actual worth of the disk that held most of the classified missions that MI-5 was currently undertaking. He should have never let the JIC talk him into releasing that information in the first place. 

“Tomorrow. 11:55; Whitehall Park.” Julia replied. She stood, placing her hands into her coat pockets. “Nice doing business with you, Harry. Don't be late.”   
o0o

The security doors hissed closed behind Harry as he entered the offices. He took a quick glance around the room. The usual busy workspace was quieter then usual as at the moment they were only dealing with the usual pranks and low-level security risks.

Ruth looked up from her desk as Harry came in and got up as Harry walked towards his office. She slipped in behind him and closed the door. 

“How'd it go?” She asked as Harry took off his coat. 

“The usual.” Harry replied placing his coat on the couch. “I can never tell if she's a hindrance or a help.”

“The Home Secretary has been calling for you.” Ruth told him. “He'll be pleased to hear that you've recovered the disk.” 

“Well don't go calling him back just yet.” Harry replied. “I haven't got the disk yet.” 

Ruth gave him a questioning look. 

“One more hoop to jump through.” Harry commented. “Valued at ten thousand.” 

“The disk is worth much more then that.” Ruth replied incredulously. 

“I know.” Harry replied. “Which makes me wonder what the catch is here. I'll send Lucas to make the exchange. Where is he?”

“Checking out one of our prank callers.” Ruth replied. “He should be back any minute now.” 

“Good.” Harry said, looking down at his desk and shuffling papers. “Send him in here when he gets back please.” 

Ruth didn't leave at the implied dismissal so Harry looked up. “That'll be all. Thank you, Ruth.”

Ruth gave him a funny look and then walked out of the office, closing the door behind her. Harry sat down in his chair and ran a hand over his face. He sat in silence for a moment before reaching over and picking up the phone.


	2. Chapter 2

Lucas stepped in the pods and closed his eyes for a moment, composing himself before he stepped into the MI5 offices. The prank call had been just that; a prank call. Some teenager boys messing around on the internet, testing their hacking skills on the local databases. 

The pods beeped signalling that he was clean and could enter. Lucas opened his eyes as the doors opened and he stepped into the quieter the usual office. He turned towards Beth who had stepped out of the pod next to him, but his gaze travelled past her as a quick rap on the window caught his attention. 

Harry motioned for Lucas to join him. 

Lucas turned to Beth. “Write up your report and put on my desk. I'll be a moment.”

Beth nodded. “Sure.” She replied. Lucas nodded his thanks and then walked to Harry's office and disappeared inside. He slide the door shut behind him and tuned to face Harry who was standing in front of the desk. 

Harry motioned to the chairs. “Have a seat.” 

Lucas sat and after a moment, Harry followed suit. Harry hesitated for a moment before speaking. “Does the name Julia Green mean anything to you?” He asked finally. 

“Vaguely.” Lucas replied. “Wasn't she responsible for the assassination of that CEO turned dealer a couple years back?” 

Harry raised an eyebrow. “Someone's been catching up on past cases.” He commented.

“Just trying to see if I missed anything.” Lucas replied with a small smile. 

Harry nodded. “Earlier this morning Julia Green contacted me and said that she is in possession of the disk.”

Lucas leaned forward. “I assume we're talking about the disk that the JIC lost. How'd she get a hold of it?”

“That is the question of the day.” Harry replied. “I want you to meet Julia and make the exchange; alone.”

“Alone?” Lucas asked questioning. 

“Those are the terms of our deal.” Harry replied. “She might be a little miffed that I didn't show, but quite frankly after our last encounter, I'd rather error on the side of caution with this one.” 

“Consider it done, Harry.” Lucas replied. “Anything else I should know?” 

“You'll be travelling with ten thousand pounds.” Harry replied. “Just make sure you don't lose it before the meeting, or we just might never see that disk ever again.” 

“I'll be careful.” Lucas promised, rising to his feet and heading towards the door. 

“Lucas.” Harry called quietly. Lucas turned back towards Harry. “Go in armed. This isn't some punk with a conscious when the badge comes out; she's a trained killer who won't hesitate when it comes to a member of the security services.” 

Lucas nodded and then slipped out of the officer, sliding the door shut behind him. Harry stood up from the chair and went around to his desk. He glanced out the glass window and watched as Lucas grabbed his coat and stepped into the pods. 

It was turning out just another normal day in Section D.

o0o 

As with most cities, London traffic was terrible around lunch time, especially around the Parliament Buildings. Lucas managed to get to White Hall Park with a few minutes to spare. Ten thousand pounds fit quiet nicely in the backpack he was carrying and the money dug into his back as he walked along the park, waiting for Julia to make contact.

He had an old photo of hers from a few years ago, but had already taken in account the many different ways she could've changed her appearance: longer hair, different hair colour. His dark eyes scanned the park, but there was still no sign of her. He slowed to a stop and checked his watch; twelve o'clock right on the dot. She was late.  
"I thought Harry might send you." A female voice said from behind him.  
Lucas turned slowly to see Julia sitting on the bench behind him. She had her legs crossed and as his gaze settled on her, she pulled off the sunglasses. She motioned him to sit, and Lucas gave her the once over as he did as she suggested, sliding the pack off his shoulder and placing it on the ground next to his feet.  
Julia's boots, jeans, and coat were all designer or knock-off designer clothing; and the way she sat told him she was comfortable with her body and knew what its limits were. Her hair was longer then in the photo and pulled back. She was fashionable, but still deadly and ready for anything.  
"Where's the disc?" Lucas asked, glancing at a couple of politicians as they walked past in a tight group of three, talking loudly about someone named Loyd.  
"Just like Harry; short and to the point." Julia replied with a smile. "Forgive me if I don't trust you right away though; I have issues." She stood up, slipping the sunglasses into a pocket. "Let's walk."  
Lucas stood and followed her lead as she walked towards the street. He kept pace with her easily and suddenly, Julia slipped an arm around his waist. To anyone is would've looked like two lovers out for a stroll. Lucas stiffened at her touch, feeling the heavy weight of the gun press into the small of his back as Julia passed her hand over the weapon.  
"Coming armed is usually a sign that you don't trust the other party." Julia said quietly, looking up at him; dark eyes searching his face. Her arm -however- stayed around his waist.  
"Trust goes both ways." Lucas replied. "I don't imagine that your boots came with the deadly accessory that you carry."  
"Someone's been reading up on me. I'm impressed." Julia replied with a grin. "Here." She motioned to him to stop and dropped her arm before taking a quick glance over her shoulder. They were now standing at the edge of the park with the street at Lucas's back.  
"The disc?" Lucas reminded her, taking a quick glance at the park in front of him before looking Julia in the eye.  
"You might want to take a look in that window first." Julia suggested, handing him a small spy-glass from her pocket as she continued to pretend to look out at the street behind him.  
Frowning, Lucas took the glass and held up to his eye, focusing on the window several meters across the park from where they stood. It was an office -which wasn't surprising considering where they were- but what was surprising was that it was occupied at this time of day. Most people would've been out at lunch by now.  
"The office belongs to Tom Neil; a junior member for the Secretary of National Defence." Julia told him as Lucas continued to watch the office. "You're probably wondering why he isn't out for lunch today; he's waiting for a package to arrive. Officially, the package is from another government office; I forget which. Un-officially, the package holds your missing disc which he intends to sell on the black market or the Russians; whoever pays the most."  
"What?" Lucas asked in surprise, lowering the spy-glass to look at her. "I thought you said you had the disc."  
"I do." Julia replied. "It's just not in my hands."  
Lucas roughly grabbed her arm and dragged her behind one of the tall oaks that had been planted alongside the street end of the park; out of sight of the rest of the park, the people. "You better not be playing games with me." He told her darkly.  
Julia glared at him. "I'm not. She replied hotly. "You were the one who filled in the blanks, not me. Look, the carrier was murdered; multiple gunshots to the torso, yeah? Looked like a gang hit? Well, it wasn't." She tried to yank her arm away.   
"How did you know that?" Lucas asked, gripping her arm tighter. "We never released those details."  
"You didn't have too." Julia replied. "Apparently, the newer additions in my line of work don't keep their mouths shut when they've had a couple pints too many." She yanked her arm out of his grip. "Check out Tom Neil. I'm sure that MI-5 can find something that was missed in his many background checks." She motioned towards the bag.  
Lucas slung the backpack over his shoulder again. "No." He replied firmly. "You didn't deliver on your promise."  
"I gave you the disc." Julia protested quietly. "We had a deal."  
"You were supposed to hand me to disc." Lucas shot back. "Not a spy ring. When I have the disc, then we'll talk."  
"Alright." Julia conceded. "I'll contact you with a more discreet meeting place. Then you have time to talk to Harry; figure out your next move."  
"Why are you doing this?" Lucas asked. "The disc is worth much more then the ten thousand that you asked for. You could live comfortably for the rest of your life."  
"Yes, but then I would also be bored." Julia replied dryly. "Besides I owe Harry one. It was nice to meet you, Lucas North." She smiled, then turned around and walked onto the sidewalk, hailing a taxi that was idling nearby.  
o0o  
"The disc was stolen by someone in our own government?" Harry asked incredulously as he walked around his desk.  
"That's what she said." Lucas replied.  
"Well, this changes things." Harry muttered quietly.  
"She could be lying." Lucas suggested. "Everything I've read about Julia Green suggests that running us around in circles isn't beneath her."  
"Yes, but why?" Harry asked softly, speaking more to himself then Lucas. "What does she have to gain by giving us Tom Neil? What else did she say?" He asked aloud.  
"Just that she would contact me with another meeting place." Lucas replied. "I assumed she meant you."  
"Check your pockets." Harry ordered quietly, the hint of a smile ghosting at the corners of his lips.  
With a frown, Lucas did. When he had come back to the Grid, he hadn't even stopped to drop off his coat at his desk, he'd wanted Harry to hear about Tom Neil. His frown deepened as his hand encountered a hard object in his left hand pocket. Lucas pulled out a small cell phone. He flipped it over in his hands; it was a burn phone with a wireless jammer, plugged into the charging port. The little device was cleverly concealing the phone's wireless signal.  
"Three years ago Julia did the same thing to me." Harry told Lucas as the younger man looked up in concern. "The incident prompted me to add 'skilled pick-pocket' to her list of talents."  
"She's good." Lucas admitted grudgingly.  
"But we're better." Harry replied. He motioned to the phone in Lucas's hand. "Get Tariq to place a trace on any incoming calls; just in case."  
Lucas nodded in agreement. "What now?" He asked, slipping the phone back into his pocket.  
"Now we bring the entire team in on this." Harry replied. "I have a feeling that we've bitten off more then we can chew here. Get Ruth to run a background check on this Tom Neil while you're at it."  
Lucas nodded and started for the door.  
"Lucas." Harry called him back. Lucas was already halfway out of the office and stepped back in, looking expectantly at Harry. "Good work." Harry congratulated his team leader. Lucas ducked his head slightly in acknowledgement and then disappeared back onto the Grid.  
o0o  
"Tariq, I need you to put a trace on a phone." Lucas ordered as he walked into the cave of the Grid's current technical genius. He stopped abruptly as he realized that Tariq wasn't sitting at his desk. "Tariq?" He asked into the seemly empty room.  
"Here!" Tariq called and Lucas looked down to see Tariq sitting on the floor, completely hidden under his desk.  
"What are you doing down there?" Lucas asked bending down so he could see Tariq better.  
"Harry wants me to finish those maintenance reports ASAP." Tariq replied glancing at him momentarily before looking back up at the cord he was fiddling with. "I just have to reconnect these LAN cables so that both my CPU's will be able to communicate with each other more efficiently."  
"For once I actually understood that." Lucas replied, a small smile slipping onto his face.  
"Done." Tariq said a moment later. He slipped out from under the desk and stood. Lucas followed suit. "You were saying something about putting a trace on a phone?" Tariq asked.  
"Yeah." Lucas replied. "I need to record and tract any incoming calls to this phone." He said holding out the phone.  
Tariq took the small phone before slipping back in his chair and spinning around to face the desk. "This is a burn phone." He said in surprise turning to look at Lucas who had come up beside him.  
"Is that a problem?" Lucas asked, leaning one hand on the desk.  
"No, no problem." Tariq replied quickly. "It's just we don't usually put taps on burn phones. Usually, it's a personal phone with an actual plan and person attached to it." He explained.  
"Yeah, well. Julia Green isn't exactly a personal phone type of person." Lucas replied quietly turning to look at the screen as Tariq started tapping on the keyboard to bring his system up.  
"Most assassins aren't." Tariq commented. He looked up as he sensed Lucas's gaze. "Or so I've heard." He said sheepishly, turning back to the computer. "It'll take me a few minutes to set up the tap." He told Lucas.  
"Don't take too long." Lucas warned him, straightening up. "Harry wants to see us in the conference room in a few minutes."  
o0o

“We have a little bit of a situation on our hands.” Harry said, starting out the meeting. He glanced around at the faces at the table. Ruth, Beth, Tariq and Lucas; all people he trusted with his life, and more importantly, with the secrets that been intrusted to them as MI-5 officers. 

“I suppose you all have heard about the security breech we had a few days ago. A messenger who was carrying an important computer disk to the JIC was shot and killed a few days ago. Up until now, we had assumed that it was a gang shooting and have been taking steps to recover the intelligence. This morning, I received a call from Julia Green. She seems to think that Tom Neil was behind the shooting and now has the intelligence.” 

Beth was the first to speak. “Who's Julia Green?” She asked looking around at the other members of the team for answers. 

“Assassin, thief, gun for hire. She'll do anything for a price.” Ruth was the one to answer the question. “And that includes stealing classified documents.” She asked.

Beth shook her head. “Never heard of her.” 

“There's no reason you would've.” Lucas replied leaning forward and looking towards Harry. “It's not something we openly talk about. Harry likes to keep a tight lid on this sort of thing.” 

“By a tight lid I assume you are referring to the fact that the Julia Green file has been classified as top secret and eyes only.” Tariq chimed in.

Everyone looked at him causing the younger man to look flustered. 

Harry raised an eyebrow.“Someone's been doing some snooping.” He commented dryly. 

“Sorry.” Tariq apologized, looking sheepish as he glanced down at the tabletop. 

“We'll talk about it later.” Harry told Tariq. He directed his attention to the rest of the team. “The Julia Green file has been classified top secret for obvious security reasons. The JIC doesn't want to broadcast that fact that we have a unknown assassin running around the streets of London to anyone.” 

“Or the fact that she seems to be infatuated with you.” Ruth remarked flatly. 

“What?” That mirthful remark came from Beth who quickly smothered her reaction as everyone looked towards her. 

Harry cast a disappointed look towards Ruth. “That fact is irreverent.” He quietly reprimanded Ruth before turning back to the rest of the team. “What is relevant is the fact that we have a serious problem on our hands. Ruth, what did you find out about our would-be spymaster Tom Neil?”

“Not much.” Ruth replied briskly. “He's young -well if you can call thirty-seven young. What I mean is he's the youngest member of security council and the only one not to have been appointed to a higher position.” She flipped through the papers in front of her. “All his friends have already made a name for themselves in the government while Neil is still a junior member.” 

“There's our motive.” Beth said. “He's been passed up for promotion. It's got to make anyone pissed off.” 

“Yes, but enough to steal highly classified documents?” Ruth asked. “He's never been in trouble with the police; not even as a teenager. He's clean.” She dropped the papers in her hand back onto the table. 

“There must be something that we're missing here.” Harry said slowly as he thought things over. “It makes no since for Julia to have given us false information.” 

“Unless she wanted to throw us off the trail.” Lucas suggested. “But I'm more concerned with what she wants. Besides the obvious need to toy with us.” He added darkly remembering the meeting he'd had at the park. 

“Ten thousand pounds for starters.” Harry replied. “The rest after that is anyone's guess. I've long give up trying to deduce her methods of operation.”

“That may be because she has no methods of operation.” Ruth remarked. “Frankly, Harry I think that you've made a mountain out of a molehill here. Julia Green is not a big of threat as you think she is. She's not the first conscious-less assassin to be around and she's not going to be the last.” 

“Not a threat?” Harry asked slowly. Everyone fell quiet as the tension in the room doubled tenfold. “Half of Julia's targets have been men and women that we have failed to get close to and protect. That means she's better then us; she knows how we operate and what our security measures are. And you don't think she's dangerous?” He asked incredulously.

“Not as dangerous as some of the other people we've faced.” Ruth replied evenly. “Then we were up against a unknown number of potential threats. Here, we know how many there is. She's just one woman, Harry.”

“She's an unknown element for sure.” Lucas said jumping back into the discussion, glancing at Ruth and Harry.   
“But the question we need to be asking is how did she know that the disc was in that office? And how did that government official get a hold of it?” He asked steering the conversation back on track. “I thought we and the JIC took all the necessary security precautions to make sure that something like this didn't happen.” 

“Obviously, we overlooked something.” Harry remarked, finally breaking his gaze with Ruth. “Tariq, since you seem to be intimately familiar with the Julia Green file, I want you to go over every inch of it again.” 

“What exactly am I looking for?” Tariq asked. 

“I don't know.” Harry replied. “Something that could give us a more clearer picture of who she really is. Names, addresses, anything.”

“That won't be easy.” Tariq replied. “There isn't too much to find in terms of a paper trail. I never seen anyone more off the radar and on it at the same time. She has half a dozen aliases and those are the only ones we know about. We're not even sure that Julia Green is her real name.” 

“Just try.” Harry ordered quietly. “Ruth, I want you and Beth to review the security measures that were taken when we handed the disk over to the JIC. Look for any holes in our security, extra personal that had no business being there. And while you're at it, run another background check on Mr. Neil. Lucas,” Harry nodded to his number one. “You're with me.”

Harry stood and everyone followed suit, pushing back their chairs and then leaving to complete their given tasks. Harry caught Ruth by the elbow, before she could leave. “I'd like to see you in my office if I may?” 

“Sure.” Ruth nodded. “Five minutes?” She asked glancing at Lucas. 

“Five minutes.” Harry agreed. 

Lucas turned to Harry after Ruth left the conference room. “Was Ruth right?” He asked quietly. “Are you making a mountain out of a molehill here?” 

“You met Julia Green.” Harry replied briskly. “What do you think?” 

“I think that she's dangerous.” Lucas replied honestly. “I also think that she isn't giving us the entire picture.” 

Harry nodded and then started walking towards the doors. “My sediments exactly.” He agreed.


	3. Chapter 3

Tariq ambushed Lucas as soon as he came out of the conference room. “Here's the phone.” He said handing Lucas the small burn phone. “I sent the wireless jamming device to forensic's, maybe they'll be able to get some prints that we can run through our databases. I've also put a tap on the line so that when Julia calls we'll be able to listen in as well.” 

“Thanks, Tariq.” Lucas replied, slipping the phone into his pocket. He looked up as Harry passed them. 

“Lucas.” Harry motioned towards his office. 

“I'll get started on searching through that file.” Tariq told Lucas, shooting a nervous glance at Harry before rushing off. 

Harry motioned as he ushered the team leader into his office. “I have something for you.” Harry said, going around to his desk and pulling open a drawer. He pulled out a thick, red folder which he handed to Lucas across the desk before sitting down. 

“What is this?” Lucas asked, slipping into one of the chairs in front of the desk. 

“That is my personal file on Julia Green.” Harry replied, pulling his jacket out from under him as he shifted on his chair. “It contains everything I knew about our elusive assassin. I want you to study it closely. Maybe there is something in there that can help you figure out what her motives are. A fresh pair of eyes always helps.” 

Lucas opened the file carefully as it was stuffed full. “How long have you known Julia Green?” He asked Harry, seeing the amount of paper on this one woman. 

“Five years.” Harry replied. “She showed up on the radar back in 2006 after the assassination of Tim Bowers, the CEO of a major shipping company. He had been making a little cash on the side by dealing heroin, but unfortunately he decided to branch off from an multitasking terrorist which got us involved. We were hoping that he would be able to lead us to where this terrorist was hiding his cell. Julia Green was the one who got to him.”

“If I remember correctly Adam Carter ran the investigation, right?” Lucas asked. It was one of the cases he'd read up on while going through what he had missed in the past eight years. 

Harry nodded. “Bowers was surrounded by security, but somehow she managed to get to him in the office. Needless to say, we think that the terrorist paid Julia to kill him. Her jobs have just gotten bigger ever since.” 

“She knows who we are, Harry.” Lucas said. “What we do, what out protocols are...... Do you think it's possible that we have a leak somewhere?” 

Harry shook his head. “I assumed that the first time we met face to face and quietly ran a full investigation but everyone was vetted. As far I can tell there is no leak.” 

“She's got to be getting her information somehow.” Lucas persisted. “With your permission, I'd like to have Tariq check to see who else has been accessing the Julia Green file.” 

Harry nodded. “Good idea.” He agreed. They both looked up as a knock came at the door and it slide open to reveal Ruth. 

Lucas stood, file in hand. “Thanks, Harry.” He said in parting before walking out of the office. 

“You wanted to see me?” Ruth asked once Lucas had left. 

“Yes.” Harry replied. He motioned. “Shut the door, please.” 

Ruth did as she was asked and then came to stand in front of the desk. 

“Please, sit.” Harry asked, motioning to the chairs in front of the desk. 

Ruth glanced at the chair as if it was suddenly going to spring off the ground and eat her. She looked back at Harry. “No thanks. If you're going to lecture me, then I'd prefer to stand.” 

“This isn't a lecture, Ruth.” Harry replied quietly. “You and I know each other too well for that.” 

“Then what is this?” Ruth asked. 

“You tell me.” Harry replied, sitting back in his chair. They both gazed at each other for a while, neither speaking but somehow the silence spoke for them. 

Ruth was the first to speak, breaking their silent dialogue. “If you expect me to apologize for speaking my mind in there, don't.”

“I always value your opinions, Ruth.” Harry replied. “But in this case, your remarks were something that should've been addressed in private. Not in front of the entire team.” 

“Then you should've been totally honest with Lucas.” Ruth shot back. “Harry, Julia Green is dangerous and you are ignoring the very blatant hold she has on you.” 

“If you are suggesting that I have allowed this 'woman' to compromise me, you are mistaken.” Harry replied. His tone had gone cold. 

Ruth tightened her lips. “While the fact that you just snapped at me twice suggests otherwise.” Her dark eyed stare bore into Harry for a moment before she spoke again. “Now if you'll excuse me. I need to get back to work.” 

Harry watched as Ruth abruptly turned and left his office, sliding the door shut behind her. 

o0o 

Ruth clutched her folders tight as she strode back into the busy office. They had delegated a few tasks to their other colleagues and now the room was humming with energy. Slipping through the gap that two agents made for her, Ruth nodded her thanks and slipped into her workspace, sitting down in her chair with a quiet sigh. 

Her mother always told her that her stubbornness was going to get her into trouble one day and Ruth was sure that the day had come. But dammit she was right! Julia Green had Harry wrapped around her finger like a ring and it was going to be his downfall. 

Composing herself, Ruth placed her files on the desk in a neat pile and then turned back to the computer. The background search that they had run on Tom Neil had been comprehensive, but there was still something missing. If they were to believe Julia, they needed a motive for Tom Neil to compromise his beliefs and betray his country. 

Someone placed a chair beside her and Ruth looked up as Beth slide into the chair she had pushed up to the desk. “Can I help?” The blonde asked leaning forward to glance at Ruth's screen. 

“No; but thanks.” Ruth replied, turning back to the computer. She preferred to work alone; besides she needed to be alone with her thoughts; Julia, Harry. 

“I meant do you want to talk about it?” Beth asked. 

Ruth looked up again and Beth motioned with her head towards Harry's closed office door. Through, the clear glass Ruth could see Harry inside, glancing over paperwork on his desk. She noted his posture and knew that he was just faking the reading. Obviously, something she had said to him had gotten through. 

“Look, I don't mean to pry or anything,” Beth continued. “But I knew that you and Harry are friends and that this Julia Green seems to have gotten under both your skins.” 

“Well, you're right about that.” Ruth commented with a quick smile. 

“I did some research.” Beth told her. “From what I've read so far, Julia is just as dangerous as Harry said she was.” 

“I didn't deny that she was dangerous.” Ruth replied somewhat shortly. “What I meant was she has a tendency to play mind games. Harry's curiosity is going to get him killed one day.” Like last time. She thought.

Ruth didn't realize she had spoken aloud until Beth repeated the question back to her. “Last time?”

Ruth realized she had said too much. “Never mind.” She replied turning back to her computer screen. “It'll be helpful if you're completely read up on the file before you help me with the background check.” 

It was a few seconds until Beth realized that Ruth was dismissing her. “Yeah; sure.” Beth replied getting up from her chair and pulling it back over to her desk. 

Ruth could feel Beth's eyes on her for several minutes after the rude dismissal. She felt her chest tighten in anger and forced herself to breath. Damn Julia Green! What was it about that woman that made her stomach tie itself into knots? 

o0o 

After handing off the now bugged phone to Lucas, Tariq retreated to his office space; his cave. Internally, he was still beating himself after the slip-up in the conference room. He had been warned about snooping around in the MI-5 server before, right before he got a job offer. But this was different. He grinned. One should not let a computer genius anywhere near a government server if they wanted to keep their files a secret. 

The smile vanished to be replaced with a frown as he thought about what Harry had said. Their fearless leader was definitely holding something back from them. Could it really be that Harry and Julia had........ No; that was ridiculous. 

Tariq shook his head as his own momentary lapse in judgement. He was just trying to find an answer to why Harry seemed to be so secretive about this assassin. Throwing himself into his office chair, Tariq tapped on the keyboard and brought up the file that he had been snooping through only a few weeks ago. 

He skimmed through the usual profile and instead went deeper into the file. Quickly bringing up the source codes of the file he easily found the access list. There were the usual names that he expected. Ruth, Beth, and others from their office had all accessed the file today. The fact that Lucas wasn't on the list made him frown, but that wasn't unusual; Lucas had his own ways of finding information. 

The next entries were from earlier this year and some even earlier then that. Tariq quickly skim-read and found that officers had been accessing the Julia Green file ever since MI-5 had switched to electronic filing. And by the look of it not all of them had been from this branch either......

“Find anything?”

Startled, Tariq spun around to see Lucas standing in the doorway. He should be used to this by now. “I found who last accessed the file.” He replied, turning back to his computer. He continued as Lucas walked into the room. “As expected there are the usual names from our office as well as some from several years ago. Basically whenever Julia popped up, someone accessed the file.” 

“That's not unusual.” Lucas said. 

“Right.” Tariq agreed. “But I did find this interesting.” He pulled up the entries. “Several of the people to access to the file weren't from this office; they weren't even from MI-5.” 

Lucas bent down to look at the computer screen. “I recognize a few of these names; they're MI-6.” 

“Six?” Tariq asked. “It's not unusual for us to share files....” 

“Yes, but look at this name.” Lucas interrupted, pointing to the screen. 

Tariq clicked on the name. “John Hayworth.” He read aloud before his fingers flew over the keys. In a matter of seconds, John Hayworth’s profile was spread across the screen. “He's attached to MI-6's offices here in London.” 

“Exactly.” Lucas replied, straightening up. “According to Harry, Julia hasn't popped up in London for several years. There's only one reason why someone like Hayworth would have accessed a file like that. Tariq, I want you to take a closer look at the other names from six; make sure they all check out.” 

Tariq nodded and turned back to his keyboard as Lucas walked out of the office. 

o0o

“John Hayworth.” Harry mused leaning back in his chair. “Now. That's a name I haven't heard in a while.” 

“I have Tariq pulling up his record now.” Lucas replied. 

“That won't be necessary.” Harry said. “John and I go way back. He started out in the Service before 6 snapped him up. The opportunity to travel for a living was too much for John to pass up. Though last I heard he'd settled down in the London office.” 

Lucas nodded. “We were able to confirm that much.” 

“The question now becomes why someone like John would be sniffing around Julia's file.” Harry continued. He looked up at Lucas. “Maybe it's time I reinstated an old friendship.” 

'What should we do about Julia?” Lucas asked. “If she and Hayworth are working together....” 

“No.” Harry interrupted. “No, there's something else going on here. We agree to her terms.” He decided. “When she calls, go ahead with the meet. I suspect that Julia will want to do more then just talk.” 

The sound of a phone ringing cut through the silence. Neither of the men recognized the ring. Lucas pulled the burn phone that Julia had slipped him from his pocket and flipped it open. The display was lit up; showing the caller's ID. 

With a frown, Lucas flipped open the phone. “Pete's Pizza Place?” He asked, sounding unimpressed.

“You didn't really think I'd call from my personal phone?” Julia asked with a hint of laughter. “I have to make things interesting for you.” 

“They're interesting enough without you playing your silly little games.” Lucas shot back. 

“Ouch. Someone wake up on the wrong side of the bed or do you just like how sexy your voice sounds when your angry?” 

Lucas had no answer for that and luckily he didn't need one. 

“Decided anything yet?” Julia asked. 

Lucas glanced at Harry, who nodded for him to continue. “Where do you want to meet?” He asked in a much calmer tone. 

“That's better. Noon; tomorrow. Let's do the little cafe on the corner of West Street and Neil Avenue. Appropriate, don't you think?” 

Again, she didn't give him time to reply. “I trust you'll come without the extra accessory this time.” There was a click and the line went dead. 

Lucas flipped the phone closed. “West Street and Neil Avenue.” He repeated to Harry. “Noon.” 

Harry momentarily raised an eyebrow and then leaned back in his chair. “Well let's hope this meeting goes better then the last one. Did you read the file?” 

Lucas nodded; he knew the meeting that Harry was referring too. “I did.” He replied. 

“Bring backup this time.” Harry advised.   
o0o

The corner of West Street and Neil Avenue was quiet; located in one of the nicer parts of Central London. The cafe itself was quite large with huge windows that overlooked both streets. The streets around the cafe were minimally busy; enough people not to cause problems but enough if a crowd needed to be gathered.

Dmitri pushed open the door to the cafe and stepped onto the walk. A cool wind blew through the buildings and the young spook turned up the collar of his jacket before looking both ways and dashing across the street to the white surveillance van parked in the ally way; out of sight. He slammed the back door closed and turned to face Lucas who was waiting for him.

Dmitri shook his head at the questioning glance from Lucas. “All clear.” He replied. No Julia. He grabbed a sheet of paper from the desk and quickly sketched the layout of the cafe before handing it to Lucas. 

“The layout is quite simple.” Dmitri explained. “You have the counter here,” He tapped the paper. “And then sixteen tables around the outside and middle.” 

Lucas memorized the layout and then shoved the paper back onto the table. Silently, he checked his watch; it was time. Either she was late or not coming. He quickly made up his mind to go ahead with the meeting anyways and grabbed his jacket from the back of the chair. 

“Right. Monitor me from here. I'll let you know if I get into trouble.”

Dmitri nodded as he slipped into the other chair in front of the bank of listening equipment. “Got it. You want to set up a code word?” He asked. 

“The normal one will do.” Lucas replied as he walked to the back of the van. 

“Which one's that?” Dmitri asked leaning back in his chair to look at his boss. 

Lucas glanced back. “Help.” He replied simply before opening the door and jumping to the street. Once out of the ally, Lucas placed a hand to his ear. “Tariq, you there?” He asked. 

A thousand miles away at Thames Street, Tariq replied, “You're coming through loud and clear, Lucas.” Tariq glanced behind him to where Harry and Ruth stood. He spoke into the comm again. “Harry and Ruth are here with me.” 

Back on the street, Lucas grinned. “Checking up on me, Harry?” He asked teasingly. 

Back at the office, Harry leaned forward and addressed the mike. “Just making sure everything goes as planned, Lucas. We don't need another incident on our hands.” He looked briefly at Ruth who tightened her lips in agreement. 

“There's no CCTV inside the cafe.” Tariq butted in. “But I've managed to hijack one of the cameras on the street. On his keyboard, Tariq tapped a few keys and the camera focused on Lucas.

Lucas glanced up and located the nearest camera. “Don't worry.” He told them, but everyone knew he was speaking to Harry. 

Something on the screen caught, Harry's eyes and he leaned forward. “Zoom in on the cafe.” He ordered Tariq quietly. 

Tariq did as requested, zooming in on the area of the cafe, Harry had pointed out. All three of them silently watched as the solid wood panelling that everyone had assumed was a wall rolling back, exposing another section of the cafe. A section they hadn't checked. 

Harry glanced at Tariq who toggled his comm. “Lucas, we may have a slight problem.” 

Out of the street, Lucas stepped back from the curb and turned slightly away from the crowd of people waiting to cross. “What do you mean 'slight problem?'” He asked, a hint of anger starting to show in his voice. 

“Apparently the cafe owners had sliding doors closing off the rest of their shop; they just opened them. Sorry, Lucas. You're on your own now.” 

Tariq's apology ringing his ears. Lucas cut the comm without a reply and dashed across the street. A taxi driver honked angrily at him, Lucas held up a hand in apology, but inside he seethed. Everything Julia had done was like a move in chess game; and so far they were losing. Each situation they had thought they'd control over just threw another curve ball at them. 

The situation with the sliding doors was just the latest. 

Shoving his anger down, Lucas jumped onto the curb and yanked open the cafe door. Inside the layout was exactly the same as Dmitri has shown him except for the longer portion of the cafe which was full of smaller, more intimate tables. Having just opened this part of the cafe was less busy then the main section with only one or two people sitting down. 

At one of the back tables, Lucas saw who he was looking for. Julia sat at one of the tables, a cup of coffee in front of her. Dressed in lighter colours then her usual all black, Lucas almost missed her. Well then, it looked like the warmer weather affected more people then just him. Julia looked up in a practiced gesture, quickly spotted him and smiled. 

Lucas approached the table just in time to see Julia slip a black smart phone into the pocket of her tan jacket that was resting on the back of her chair. She motioned to the chair opposite her. “Please; sit.” 

Lucas did and was immediately assaulted by a cafe worker who quickly set a cup of coffee in front of him, stirred in the milk -no sugar- and then left before he could say a word. 

Julia picked up her cup and took a sip, looking at him the entire time she did so. 

Lucas ignored the hint to drink his own coffee -ignoring the fact that she knew exactly how he took it- and leaned forward. “Nice stunt with the sliding doors.” 

Julia placed her cup calmly on the table. “It comes in handy for avoiding the surveillance.” She replied. “I knew you wouldn't be able to resist checking out this place before coming in.” 

Back at the office, Harry listened as Lucas and Julia tossed back and forth the small talk. He looked up sharply as there was a knock on the door and Beth poked her head in. 

“Harry, I have a minister from the JIC on the line. I've tried to get rid of him, but he insists on talking with you personally.” 

Harry glanced back at CCTV footage which showed a very faint outline of Lucas and Julia in the cafe and then back at Beth. “I'll take it in my office.” He replied, walking towards the door. He turned back. “Keep an eye on him, Ruth.” 

Ruth knew he was speaking about Lucas. She nodded. The door closed behind Harry and she turned back the screen. Lucas had just finished the small talk and was now moving onto why the meeting had been called. 

o0o

Lucas removed the coffee cup from in front of him and set it to the side. “So. What are we doing here?” He asked. 

Julia took another sip of her coffee and then set the cup aside. “We're here because you want the disc with government secrets on it, because I want to get it back for you, and we need to figure out how we're going to accomplish that.” 

“We?” Lucas asked. 

Julia sighed. “I see Harry's scepticism has followed you.” She leaned forward. “Look, as much as I'm the bad guy here; our jobs are not all that different. I don't steal from the government.”

Lucas raised an eyebrow. “No; you just kill innocent people.” He watched as Julia's lips tightened. That confused him. For an emotionless assassin, his remarks seemed to bother her. 

“Do you want to disc back or not?” Julia snapped. “Because I'm beginning to think this is waste of my time.” 

“Maybe it is.” Lucas replied. “Obviously, we both don't trust each other and until that changes we're just playing this cat and mouse game until someone gives up. That is a waste of time.”

Julia tilted her head slightly to the side as she studied him. “You almost sound like you're trying to be civil.” 

Lucas decided now it was time to place all the cards on the table. He had enough history with her now to know what twigged her heartstrings. “You know we need that disc back. I'm willing to do whatever to get it back.” 

Julia smiled. “Anything?” She asked. “Because the only way you're going to get the disc back is to break into the office.” She told him plainly. 

At Thames House, Ruth was listening intently and at Julia's suggestion of how to get the disc back, she straightened up. “We've heard enough.” She said. “Tell Lucas to walk out of there.” 

“But Harry said....” Tariq protested. 

“Tell Lucas to get out of there.” Ruth replied firmly. “There's no way we're authorizing a theft from our own government offices.” 

They both looked up as Harry came back into the room. He stopped as he saw their faces. “What's going on?” He asked. 

Before Ruth could say anything, Julia spoke again. She turned back to the computer screen. 

“You have ten seconds to give me an answer.” Julia was saying to Lucas. “I know you're wired. Whoever is listening can go and get Harry so he can authorize this.” 

Back in the cafe, Lucas looked in disbelief at the woman across from him. “You're sure of yourself.”

Julia shrugged as she picked up her coffee. “It pays to have confidence. Five seconds.”

Harry nodded to Tariq. “Tell Lucas to go ahead with the deal.” 

Ruth turned to him. “Harry....” 

“We can always back out if push comes to shove.” Harry replied. He nodded again to Tariq. “Tell him.” He said before walking out of the room. 

Tariq toggled the comm once again. “Lucas, Harry says to go ahead. You're clear to accept the deal.” 

Lucas raised his eyes to meet Julia's 

“Time's up.” She told him softly, taking another sip of her coffee. 

“Alright. When do we meet?” Lucas asked. 

“Good choice.” Julia told him replacing her coffee up on the table. “Get the disc; get your proof.” 

“Proof?” Lucas asked. “What proof?” 

“Neil.” Julia replied, turning around to gather her jacket. “You're not going to take my word that he's a mole, so in getting the disc back – the one we steal from his office- it'll get you the proof you need to make an arrest.” She stood. “Now if you'll excuse me, I have another meeting I'm late for.” She pulled on her coat and then leaned forward to place a few bills on the table. 

“I'll call you.” She told Lucas with a smile, before grabbing her cup and walking away from the table. She dumped the cup in a bucket of dirty dishwater left on the counter as she continued towards the entrance way. 

Lucas watched as she walked out of the cafe. He touched his ear. “She's heading east.” He told Tariq. 

“Got her!” Tariq replied, rapidly tapping on his keyboard. He zoomed in with the camera. “Alpha two, do you copy?” 

“I got her.” Dimitri replied, from inside the surveillance van. He tapped on the keyboard. “You want me to follow her?” He asked Lucas over the comm. 

“No.” Lucas said as he got up from the table and headed towards the entrance. “Tariq, keep her under surveillance. Wait for me in the van.” He told Dimitri.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

“Gone. Just like that.” The file hit Harry’s desk with a crack. “How'd we lose her?” He asked Lucas, sitting down in his desk chair. “I thought we had her under tight surveillance.” 

“We did.” Lucas replied. “But apparently she's a lot better then we thought. We’ll find her, Harry. It’ll just take some time.” 

“Time is something we don’t have.” Harry shot back. “She'll get whatever the hell she wants and then be gone before we know what hit us. Yes, she's that good.” He replied in answer to Lucas's wordless glance. “The JIC is starting a witch hunt and we're right in the middle of it. They're pushing for something substantial; not smoke and mirrors.” 

“No one’s that lucky.” Lucas replied after a moment. “She’s got to have left a trail. We’ll work our agents, see what comes up.”

“Do it.” Harry said. “Maybe you can salvage our reputations while you're at it.”

Lucas nodded and then slipped out of the office, closing the door behind him. Harry reached forward and picked up his desk phone. “Get me MI6.” He told the person on the other end of the line. 

o0o

“Neil has gambling debts.”

The four words that Ruth uttered caused everyone to pause. The entire team sat around the conference table in various different positions. Beth was playing with the remote for the screen in the corner while Dimitri lounged in a corner chair, looking relaxed even though there was a tenseness to his body. Lucas was trying not to fiddle with the burn phone resting on the table beside his elbow. Harry were the only one who didn't look distracted. 

“Who with?” Dimitri was first to ask. 

“The Russians.” Beth responded. “Tariq managed to find photos of our junior member entering and exiting one of the gentlemen's clubs that Six has been keeping an eye on. It's known to have ties back to Russia and the mafia.” 

Beth clicked the button on the remote she was holding and a CCTV surveillance photo popped up showing Neil entering the infamous club. 

“Would Neil have known this?” Harry asked turning back to the group. 

Beth shook her head. “Not at first. It's how they draw you in. You play some cards, get in some debt, but instead of the local boys....”

“The mafia pays you a visit.” Harry finished. “And instead of telling someone and possibly losing his job, Neil agreed to get them what they want.” 

“We checked out everyone that came in contact with carrier,” Ruth continued. “And two possibilities stood out.” Again Beth touched the remote and the first photo and bio slide onto the screen. “His name is Richard Samuels. We've been keeping an eye on him as he's basically a gun for hire. We have video of him in two locations with the carrier. 

“The second suspect is Aatos Pajari. Originally of Finnish descent, he entered the UK a week ago on a fake British passport under the name John Bingham. Other then the short clip of him walking down the same street as the carrier, we have nothing on him.” 

“Pajari is the most likely suspect.” Beth continued. “He's been one of Interpol's Top Twenty for the last five years due to his assassination of a low level government official in Spain. Everyone outside the intelligence community still believes the official died of a heart attack. He's also been linked to several assassinations in Bulgaria, Ireland, and Germany, but there is no definitive proof.”

“Pleasant fellow.” Dimitri remarked sarcastically from his corner. 

“Definitely not someone you want to meet in a dark ally.” Ruth agreed. 

“Where is Pajari now?” Harry asked. 

Beth bit her lip. “We don't know.” She admitted. “We lost track of him.” 

They all looked up as Tariq slide open the door to the briefing room and slipped inside. “You have to see this.” He told them, plucking the remote out of Beth's hand and starting to play with the buttons. “I had our system looking up any reference to John Bingham and this is what it turned up.” Tariq explained. On the LCD screen a news broadcast began to play. 

The broadcasting was explaining that a body had been found in a small warehouse and police were asking the public to come forth with any information about John Bingham. Harry quickly took charge. 

“Dimitri, I want you on the scene, find out what you can.” Harry ordered. Dimitri nodded and left the room. Harry looked towards Ruth. 

“I'll find out what I can.” She told him, getting up from the table and motioning Beth to follow her. 

“I'll see if I can track Pajari's movements; find out how he ended up there.” Tariq said, once again slipping out of the room. 

Harry turned to Lucas. “Lucas, I want you to stay with the Julia Green case. If this is just a smokescreen to keep us distracted, I don't want it to work. I want to keep Julia on a tight leash.”

“You don't think she could've had anything to do with Pajari?” Lucas asked. 

Harry shook his head. “Not her style, but I wouldn't put it past her if he got in her way. In any case, we won't know unless Dimitri finds something. And MI6 hasn't been exactly forthcoming with their information. Hayworth is out of the country, or so they say.” He replied in answer to Lucas's look. 

“Harry, I don't want to say it, but we have to consider the possibility that someone at MI6 knows who Julia is.” Lucas said. “Maybe they are even in contact with her. How else could she know about our protocols?” 

“You're still thinking about the coffee.” Harry deduced. “Lucas, Julia Green is an assassin who specializes in close contact hits. She studies people for a living. I still don't know how she does it -and I am willing to consider a leak- but we have got to have proof. The JIC isn't going to take anything less. And with this whole situation, they'd probably just thank her for recovering the disk and let her go.” He admitted grudgingly. 

Lucas started to reply, but the small burn phone on the table vibrated, interrupting him. Both men looked towards the table. 

Harry looked up at Lucas. “You have a phone call to answer.” 

Lucas snatched up the phone and answered it, placing it on speaker. “Hello.” 

“I don't appreciate tails.” Julia snapped. She sounded truly angry with none of her usual charm. “They annoy me and make my day more difficult then it already is. You and Harry should know better. Don't do it again.”

“Don't expect an apology.” Lucas replied. “You are after all a wanted assassin.” 

Over the phone he heard Julia sigh as she tried to calm herself down. “The next words out of your mouth better be 'Julia, we agree to your terms.' or I'm walking; cash or no cash. I'm not in the mood for games.”

“Neither am I.” Lucas told her. “How do I know that I can trust you?” 

She laughed. “You government types! Everything is about trust. Tell me how many times have you been stabbed in the back by your so called 'fellow' colleagues?” 

Lucas didn't answer. Julia took that for his answer. 

“Yeah, I thought so. Trust doesn't exist in our line of work; we're shadows, nothing more and nothing less. Are you ready to get your precious secrets back or should the Russians have them?” 

Lucas was silent for a minute and then he spoke. “Tell me one thing: did you have anything to do with the murder of Aatos Pajari?” 

And for the first time since he had met the infamous assassin, there was the barest of hesitations. “No.” Julia replied.   
o0o

“We go in as cleaners. It's quick and easy.” Lucas said glancing around at the others gathered at the table. It had been a few hours since he had discussed the terms of their agreement with Julia. In that time, he had composed a plan. “We get into the building during cleaning hours which is during lunch. We change clothes, look like anyone else running errands. We'll walk into the office, get the disc and get out.” 

“Pretty standard, isn't it?” Beth asked. “Maybe a little too standard?” 

“It's MI-5, not the CIA. We're not into all that cloak and dagger stuff.” Dimitri replied with a quick grin, picking up his files. 

“Harry had already okayed this, so we're a go.” Lucas said. “Beth, you and Ruth will monitor from here, give me a hand if anything goes south. Dimitri, you'll be my lookout.” He checked his watch. “It's late. Get some rest and we'll come back in the morning.” He gathered his papers and walked to his desk. 

o0o

He didn't like this; didn't like it one bit. Even on the drive home, it was bothering him. Harry flipped open the file resting on the care seat next to him and looked at Julia's photo. It was grainy, a few years old and taken from a CCTV camera. He shut the folder. 

She was an unknown element and that bothered him. She had shown up from nowhere, her motives were all over the place, and no one else had seen her except his section. He had been in the room as Lucas and Julia had hashed out the terms of their 'agreement.' He had listened to them banter – there really wasn't any other word for it- but in the end, he knew that they couldn't afford not to agree to her terms; they had to know what she knew. 

Dimitri had come up empty with the investigation. The local police were handling the case from here on out, but Harry was convinced they wouldn't find anything. If Julia had done it, she knew how to leave no trace behind. 

The car stopped. “Thanks, James.” Harry said before opening the door. He got out and shut the door. It was just a short walk up to his front door and then Harry stepped inside his home. It was dark and there was no need to turn on any lights. Harry hung his coat up on the rack and then took his briefcase upstairs into the office. 

He set the file on the desk and then poured himself a drink. He sipped as he looked at the file. It had yet to be opened and Harry was hoping that it would have to stay that way. He needed to make some discreet calls and it was going to take a few favours. He just hoped that he would be able to resolve this fiasco before it went any further. 

With a determined sigh, he picked up the phone and dialled the first number. 

o0o

The lunch hour at Whitehall Park was crowded due to the good weather. A man ran along the circumference of the park and stopped by the treeline to stretch. Inside the building, two of the cleaning staff walked into the backdoor and then down the hallway. The taller of the two picked up a cleaning cart, carrying on down the hall and into the elevator.

The elevator came out on the third floor and both staff exited. Heads down, they passed several members of the staff. The hallway was littered with boxes alongside the wall. Various different members of staff were busy, folding papers into the boxes. The two cleaners passed the staff walking further down the hall and slipping into an empty office. 

Lucas closed the door and then stripped off his cleaner's uniform. Beside him, Julia was doing the same. 

“With all those boxes in the hall someone must be moving up in the world.” She said. 

“And making our job ten times harder.” Lucas replied. 

“You'll think of something.” Julia stuffed the one piece uniform into the bin on the cart. She smiled up at him. 

Lucas stuffed his uniform into the bin. “Come on. Neil's office is just down the hall.” He opened the door and stepped into the hallway. He straightened his suit jacket. Julia fell into step beside him, flipping her hair over her shoulder. 

“Eight doors on the left.” He said in a low voice. 

“Got it.” She replied. They fell back into silence. Lucas had to admit that it was easy to work with Julia. For all her banter and flirting during their meetings, she worked in silence which was something he could respect. He continued counting the doors. Someone bumped into him, sending his papers crashing to the floor. They scattered everywhere. 

“Sorry!” The woman apologized, bending down. 

“No problem.” Lucas replied, bending down beside the woman. He gathered her papers quickly and handed them back to her with a smile. She returned the gesture and then continued on her way. He turned and realized that Julia was no longer beside him. 

“Control. I've lost her.” He whispered. He walked around the corner and almost ran smack into Julia. She reacted. If he hadn't been trained well, he would have been on the floor. Quickly, he captured her hand and elbow and instead made it look like an animated discussion. 

“You vanished.” It was an accusation. 

“Scouting, not flirting.” She replied. “We're clear.” 

“Bravo One, can you confirm that?” He asked into his earpiece. 

“They're moving Neil's office after lunch.” Julia snapped. “We needed to get the disk now; before he moves it. Do you want it or not?” 

“I want it.” He shot back. Games. It was all games. His earpiece hissed; Dimitri confirmed that the office was empty. He nodded to Julia and released her. “Let's go.” 

o0o

The lock was easy to pick. Lucas stood up and pushed the door open. Julia followed him and shut the door behind them. The office was littered with half filled boxes. It was clear that the intelligence Julia had gathered had been correct. Neil was indeed moving offices. 

Julia walked over to the desk and yanked opened the drawers, rifling through them. Lucas joined her. After a few minutes, they had found nothing. Lucas turned his attention to the walls. “Check for a safe.”

Julia took the north wall and began running her fingers behind paintings. Lucas took the other wall. Again, nothing. Julia moved on to the bookshelf. Lucas turned back to the desk. He looked up when a quiet click broke the silence. 

Julia pulled open a hidden panel on the bookcase and turned to him with a smile. She reached inside the safe and pulled out a blue CD case. She wiggled it. 

Lucas stepped forward to grab it, but was stopped by Dimitri's voice in his ear. “Neil just entered the building, Alpha One. Three minutes.” 

“Three minutes.” Lucas repeated looking at Julia. He held out his hand. 

Julia hesitated. Lucas stepped towards her. He felt his heart beat faster as he realized that he might have to take it from her. Maybe this whole thing had been a scheme just to know what MI-5 was doing. Maybe she had intended to take the disc all along. 

She stepped towards him, then reached up and kissed him. They didn't have time for this. Lucas didn't know what to do and then he heard the door open behind them. 

A woman walked in carrying a stack of papers. She looked surprised at seeing the both of them in the office. “This is a private office.” 

“Oh, we know.” Julia gave a girly grin. “Sorry.” 

“You have to leave now.” The woman ordered. 

Julia grabbed Lucas's arm, pulling him towards the door. Before they made it to the door, Neil came down the hall. Lucas felt Julia grip his arm tight. They would have to keep this cover up and hope Neil didn't suspect anything. 

Neil opened the door. He stopped as he saw them. 

“Ah, Tom. I have that file you were looking for.” The woman said. 

“Who are they?” Neil asked. 

“Staff. They are just leaving.” The woman said shooting them a glare. 

“Give us a moment, Susan.” Neil said. 

Confused, the woman did as Neil asked. The door closed behind her. “I know who you are.” Neil said. He put his briefcase down on the desk. He pulled a gun and motioned with it. 

“Oh for god's sake.” Lucas muttered. 

“I started carrying this for protection after you lot threatened me. I'm calling security.” He reached towards the phone. 

Julia stepped towards him. Her entire body language had changed and the disc has disappeared. “You don't want to do that.” She said in Russian. Perfect Russian. Neil froze. He looked scared. 

Surprised, Lucas realized what she was doing. “Put the phone down.” He ordered Neil in English, faking an Russian accent. “I don't think you want your people knowing your little secret.” 

Neil let go of the phone. 

“Now the gun.” Julia said. She also was speaking in a perfect Russian accent. She smiled. “Please.”

Neil hesitated but lowered the weapon. 

“We're just checking up on you. Making sure you don't break our deal.” 

“I haven't. I won't.” Neil said. 

“Good. Because if you do, my employer won't be too happy.” Lucas said. “We own you, Neil. Don't forget that.” 

Neil nodded. 

Lucas turned around and walked out of the office. Julia followed him.

“Quick thinking.” Lucas muttered. 

“Hopefully we didn't push too hard.” Julia replied. 

He grabbed her by the arm. “Keep walking. Once we get on the street, I want that disc.” 

“And you'll get it. As long as I get what I was promised, you have nothing to worry about.” 

“You'll get your money.” He said. 

A crowd of people pushed them close together, threatening to make Lucas lose his hold on Julia's arm. He wasn't about to let her slip away after all they had gone through. They finally had the disc and he was not about to let it slip from his grasp. 

He slipped the handcuffs discreetly from his pocket and wrapped the bracelet around Julia's wrist. She tried to pull away, but he stuck the other bracelet around his wrist. She looked up at him. 

“I thought you were a man who doesn't believe in commitments.” 

“I believe in doing my job. Come on.” He pushed his way through the crowd and towards the van at the end of the street where Dimitri was waiting. The people around then were packed tight and a few of them he bumped into. He didn't have time to say sorry, which got him a few glares, but he had more important things to worry about right now. 

Dimitri opened the van doors as they approached. Lucas pushed Julia towards the van. “Set your weapon on the floor. And the disc” 

Julia pulled out her weapon with her free hand and set it down on the floor of the van. Next was the blue case with red lettering. Dimitri picked both items up and then the two of them climbed into the back of the van. 

Once in the van, Julia held up her arm. “I did my part. Now, give me the keys.” 

“No. The rest of your part is where I arrest you for a long list of charges that I can't even remember right now.” He gave her a smile. 

Julia raised an eyebrow. She looked annoyed. “You're seriously double crossing me right now? Does Harry know about this?” 

“Harry doesn't have to know about this.” Lucas nodded to Dimitri. “Let's get back to Thames House.” 

Julia yanked on the handcuffs, pulling Lucas off balance. He fell towards her and then felt his weapon being pulled from behind his back. She jammed it up against his ribs. It was the only thing preventing their bodies from touching. 

“Back off!” She ordered Dimitri who had started forward. “I will shoot him.” 

Lucas shifted and felt more then heard as the safety was taken off. He didn't have to look. He knew her finger was on the trigger. 

“Undo your bracelet, North.” 

Slowly, Lucas lifted his hand from the wall and then reached into his pocket with his free hand. He brought the keys out. He reached over and unlocked the handcuffs holding him and Julia together. 

She shoved him back using the gun and then stood up. She opened the van doors. Lucas jumped her. Together, they fell onto the pavement. The gun went flying somewhere behind them as Julia's head smacked against the pavement. Lucas grabbed one of her arms and then heard the snick of a knife being drawn. Her other arm caught him on the side of the head and there was a flash of pain as he fell to the side. The knife had been buried in his shoulder. 

Julia kneed him into the chin as she scrambled to her feet. 

“Lucas!” Dimitri scrambled to get out of the van. He grabbed for his weapon. 

Julia shoved Lucas off her and stood up. Dimitri jumped to the pavement just in time to see Julia run off down the street. He raised his weapon and the civilians on the street screamed and scattered, making it difficult to get a shot. She disappeared into a crowd of people. 

“Ruth!” Dimitri yelled as he turned back to Lucas, who was just sitting up. “We need an ambulance at my position. Make it fast.”


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

The sounds of the park were a welcome distraction from the usual hustle and bustle of Thames House. Harry walked along the path enjoying the little bit of sun that had managed to come out this afternoon. He quickly spotted the person he was here to meet and made his way over the grass towards the park bench strategically placed between two trees. 

Harry paused for a moment, glancing around at the park and the children chasing each other around on the nearby play structure. “I can see why you wanted to meet here.” He said, taking a seat on the bench beside the other man. 

John Hayworth of MI6 smiled as he turned towards Harry. “Am I getting predictable in my old age?” He asked. The other man was dressed warmly in a tan hat and blue jacket. It was welcome splash of colour next to Harry's black. 

“To old friends maybe.” Harry replied. He glanced at the children playing, particularly the dark haired boy running around on the play structure. “Grandson?” He asked turning back to Hayworth. 

The other man nodded. “Anne's first. He just turned nine. Smart lad.” He said sounding impressed. “He'd give some of my officers a run for their money.” He shifted on the bench. 

“Oh, I doubt that very much.” Harry replied. “You always were the best at getting your point across. I'd imagine that's why they've still got you out in the field.” 

“What?” Hayworth sounded indignant. “To knock some sense into these children they've got playing dress up?” He shook his head. “In our days, Harry, there was a law against sending children to do the kind of work we did.” He sighed. 

“Your office said you were out of the country.” Harry said.

Hayworth grunted. “I wish. I'm halfway retired with a younger generation all trying to force me out so they can have my paycheque.” He shook his head. “Never would have happened in our day, Harry. It's a young man's game now.” 

He turned back to Harry. “But you didn't come all the way down here to talk about my work. What was so urgent that my office had to warn me about your 'important' phone calls?”

“It seems a mutual friend of ours has decided to come back into the game.” Harry replied. “Julia Green.” 

He felt Hayworth pause. “Now that's a name I haven't heard in a while.” The other spook finally said. There was silence as both men carefully thought over what they were going to say next. 

Harry was the first to break the silence. “John, I don't know why MI6 is interested in Julia Green. But what I do know is that sharing information is the best way to making sure that this assassin doesn't kill again.” 

Hayworth laughed. “Oh, I'm not laughing at you, Harry.” He assured the other spook quickly. “Just the absurdity of that statement.” 

“Why?” Harry asked. “What is so absurd?” 

“Because we trained her, Harry.” Hayworth snapped. “We made her.” 

“What are you telling me?” Harry asked after a moment. 

Hayworth sighed. “I supposed it would come out sooner or later. I was hoping it would be later so I'd have a chance to retire.” He told Harry conversationally. 

Harry didn't reply and Hayworth continued. “You won't get her real name or the names of the rest of them. There was only one man who knew and he's ten feet down if you get my meaning. This particular program was originally created as a contingency in case the government needed plausible deniability, but has morphed into more then that. Harry, we have men and woman running around the UK; assassins sanctioned by the Security Services. 

“That rumour has been going around as long as the Security Services have existed.” Harry replied sceptically. “Chinese whispers.” 

“Ah, but this time what is distorted is the truth.” Hayworth told him. He looked intently at Harry. “You're not wearing a wire, are you?” 

“John.” Harry admonished. “You know me.”

Hayworth grunted. “Yeah; and I thought I knew my country.” 

“So she's on our side.” Harry said, gently prodding the other man to continue. 

Hayworth snorted. “There are no sides, Harry.” He gently reminded his old friend. “I don't know who the bloody hell they work for. For all we know it could even be themselves. What's she asked you to do?” 

“It's already been done.” Harry replied. “We had no choice but to cooperate with her.” 

Hayworth nodded. “That's the way they like it.” He stood from the bench, abet stiffly. “Don't trust her, Harry. No matter what your instincts say.” He glanced towards the park where his grandson was playing. “And don't come to me again. I'm done.”

He started to walk away, but Harry stopped him. “John.” 

The other spook turned around and Harry stood, walking over to him. “How do you contact her?” Harry asked. The other man looked away. “Don't deny that you do.” Harry told him. “Not to me.” 

Hayworth looked back at him and tightened his lips. “Petty France Broadway. You'll get your answers there, Harry.” 

The silence was shattered as Harry's phone rang. “Thanks, John.” He walked away as he answered it. “Harry Pierce.”

o0o 

The pods opened and Harry stepped onto the Grid. It was busier then when he had left. Dimitri met him and together they walked towards Harry's office. 

“What happened?” Harry asked, taking off his gloves. 

“We tried to bring in Julia Green. Things got out of hand. Lucas was stabbed.” 

“Bad?” Harry asked in concern. 

“His shoulder. He'll live.” Dimitri replied. “She didn't even blink, Harry. It was almost like she wanted to do it.” 

“Julia Green never blinks. Lucas lucky she didn't actually want to kill him. Where is Lucas now?” Harry stopped by the door to his office and turned to face Dimitri. 

“Hospital.” Dimitri replied. “I had to make him.” 

“And the disc?” 

“We have it.” Dimitri handed the blue case to Harry. “I figured you'd want to hold onto it.” 

Harry took the disc. “You figured right. Have we managed to track Julia?” 

“I set up a surveillance grid, but nothing so far. We're still looking.” 

Harry nodded. “Ok. Get Lucas back here as soon as possible. In the meantime, keep the surveillance active; let's hope she shows up.” He opened his door. 

“Harry!” 

He turned as Ruth walked toward them. He nodded to the young spook. “Thanks, Dimitri. Ruth, what can I do for you?”

“You'll want to hear this.” Ruth said to Dimitri. “Beth and I been monitoring the police investigation of Pajari's murder. They found a safe which they managed to crack. It contained the gun that was used to kill Pajari. No fingerprints, but it's a match.” 

“Well, we can add another unsolved murder to the long list in my office.” Harry deadpanned.

“There's more.” Ruth continued. “They also found maps, Harry. Of the tube system, transit, and safe-houses. But not just any safe-houses; our safe houses. It get's worse. One of our agents just got back from a deep cover op in Russia is staying in one of those safe-houses. The maps aren't marked so it's unsure which one she could be targeting, but his information was on the disk. If she got access to it....” 

“She would know where every single one of our officers are in the entire country.” Harry finished. “Warn the officers at the safe house. Dimitri, I want you to get over there as soon as possible. I'll have Lucas join you as soon as possible. Go.” 

Dimitri nodded and took off. 

Harry turned to Ruth and handed her the disc. “I want you and Tariq to take a look at this disc, make sure that there is no possible way it was copied. Pray it's the original or we've got one of the biggest security breeches in history on our hands.”   
o0o

Lucas climbed out of the car that had brought him to the safe house and looked up and down the street. He shut the door. The several flats that were owned by MI-5 were quiet, no movement by the windows. Dimitri met him. 

“We've locked down the entire street. There are three officers inside along with our deep cover operative and we have another three covering the street with us.” 

Lucas nodded, then winced and rubbed at his shoulder. “I'll start with line of sight from the rooftops. I want to double check their security measures.” 

“Got it.” Dimitri went towards the house and Lucas motioned to two of the officers standing by. “Come with me.” He pointed down the street and the officers took off. Lucas stood in front of the house. He looked up and the turned in a circle, watching the top of the roofs. There were only a few houses in the area that gave a clean line of sight into the safe house. 

He saw one of the curtains move and an old lady walked past the window. Julia wouldn't have chosen that one. He looked towards the other one, dismissing that as well. It was the third one that caught his interest. Another apartment building, it would have easy access to the roof by non tenants. 

He went quickly up the stairs and then shoved opened the door that lead to the roof. The wind was the first thing that caught his attention. The next was a shoe sticking out from behind a vent. Lucas yanked out his phone and then his weapon. The phone rang once and then Dimitri picked up. 

“I'm on the roof of the apartment building. Get up here right away, I think we have a body.” 

Lucas dropped his phone into his pocket and then walked towards the vent, weapon outreached. He went around the vent and then stopped as he saw two bodies piled on top of each other. There was a sniper rifle lying beside the two bodies. 

Lucas stepped closer and saw that there was something stuck in a pocket. He pulled out his phone again and dialled.   
o0o

 

Beth grabbed for her phone without looking up from her files. “Bailey.” 

“It's Lucas. We've done a though sweep of the area around the safe-house. We found something.” 

Beth looked up as Ruth walked by. She motioned to her to come over. “I'm going to put you on speaker. Ruth is here. It's Lucas.”

“Lucas, what's happening?” Ruth asked. 

“We found two bodies; Russian by the look of their tattoos. One of them had a picture of our officer on him. They also had surveillance gear and we found a sniper rifle with the bodies which coincidentally is what they were killed with. There was also a package in one of their coat pockets.” 

Ruth looked at Beth. “What is it?” She asked. 

“It's a computer disc. She faked us out, Ruth.” 

Ruth stood up. “I'll get Harry.” She said before running toward Harry's office. She slide the door open. “Harry?” She stopped. The office was empty.   
o0o

The sun was slipping behind the tall buildings of London as Harry waited beside the building Hayworth had indicated. In the distance, he could see the top of Buckingham Palace. The sunset was beautiful display of orange, yellow, and red; reflecting off the old Victorian style buildings. There were a few men and women walking through the streets, the occasional tourist as it was so close to the Palace, but for the most part the streets were quiet. 

Harry didn't turn around as a woman in a black coat rested her elbow on the railing beside him. “I must say that I was surprised to get your message.” Julia said, hip pressed against the railing as she faced him. “How'd you figure out how to contact me?” 

Harry straightened up and turned towards her. “I'm surprised you came at all. After you put on of my officers in the hospital and had the murder of a known assassin on your hands, I'd thought you'd be long gone by now.” 

“I had a few things to take care of.” 

He motioned. “Walk with me?”

Julia inclined her head in agreement and together, the two of them started to walk along the street towards Buckingham Palace. The first few minutes were spent in silence and Harry was the first to break it. 

“So I assume that since this job is done, you'll fade back into the woodwork only to reemerge and make my life hell once again.” 

Julia turned towards him with a frown. “I'm not sure I like your tone, Harry.” 

Harry stopped walking. “What you like or don't like is of no concern for me. What concerns me is that fact that you will continue to roam around the streets without concern for ordinary citizens.” 

Julia inclined her head once again, curious now. “Then you better bring me in. No, wait. You can't because you have no evidence. The only evidence you have is that I helped you recover your reputation before a ladder-climber sold your operatives to the highest bidder.” 

They started walking again. 

“No. The only evidence I have is a government sanctioned assassin.” Harry replied. “I've managed to find out more about you in the last week then ever before. You got sloppy exposing yourself like this, Julia.”

“What do you want from me?” She asked after a moment. 

“Who do you work for?” Harry asked. 

Julia stopped and turned to face him, pressing her back against the building behind her. “Hayworth didn't tell you?” She asked. 

That threw Harry for a moment. The other spook hadn't known who was employing the assassin; or did he?

“I serve my country; same as you do.” She continued. 

Harry shook his head. “No. You and I are nothing alike.” 

“I'd say we're exactly alike, Harry.” Julia shot back. “I only wish I could have met you twenty years earlier.” She walked even closer to him. “We could have done a lot together then.” She looked up at him. “I've always been on your side, Harry. The grey area maybe, but still on your side.” 

Harry didn't reply. 

Julia continued. “That is why even after you've threatened me ever so nicely, I'm going to tell you about something else that you're going to need to look after. Just don't say I didn't tell you.” 

“What do you mean?” Harry asked. “What did you do this time?” 

Julia leaned forward and picked up his arm. She placed the blue computer disc case into his hand. “I'm sorry I had to borrow this. It's the original. I didn't make a copy.” 

“How can I be sure? I only have your word.” 

Julia placed a hand on his chest. “The thing you need to look after is Albany, Harry.” She whispered in his ear. “Someone's looking for it.” She pulled back so she could see his face. Her hand drifted down to his tie and she straightened it. “Keep it safe.” She told him before turning away from him. 

Harry watched her dark figure as she walked down the sidewalk and once again, his curiosity was peaked. How did an unknown element know so much about what was going on within the spooks world? He looked down at the disc in his hand and clutched it tight. It was the last time he would allow that woman anywhere near Thames House.

-THE END-


End file.
